When a cruise ship’s impact killed a whale, dragging the carcass into the harbor of a small Alaskan port town, residents decided to hold a memorial. And it’s getting national attention.
On Friday, June 19, the Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, a 4,900-passenger cruise ship, was approaching the port in Seward, Alaska. It arrived with a dead 61-foot fin whale draped across the bulbous bow.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) worked with local veterinary experts to perform a necropsy on the animal. Prior to its death, the animal was healthy, with plenty of blubber and muscle, and was also pregnant.
“Preliminary necropsy findings showed blunt force trauma to the jaw, spine, and ribs consistent with a vessel strike. The official cause of death is pending further histological and diagnostic testing of collected samples, which can take months to complete,” a NOAA Facebook post said.
The fin whale is a protected species listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. It also receives protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is the second-largest whale behind the blue whale. The population near Alaska is around 5,700 animals.
NOAA notes that the biggest current threat to the species is vessel strikes. To reduce the likelihood of these incidents, NOAA suggests four main action points: slow ship speed to less than 10 knots in whale habitats, keep a distance of at least 100 yards, immediately stop the boat if you are within 100 yards, and keep a close lookout for marine mammals.
A study published in Marine Mammal Science highlights the importance of boat speed. The study found that the likelihood of lethal injury to a large whale increases from 20% at 8.6 knots to 80% at 15 knots. The ship was traveling between 15 and 20 knots when it hit the whale, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Memorial
As a call to action, Seward residents are planning to hold a public memorial for the deceased fin whale. On the morning of Friday, July 3, they’ll meet in a public parking lot and proceed in a loop around Seward. They’re timing the event to the day the same cruise ship returns to town.
In a Seward Facebook Group, resident Jamie Lyons, a lead captain at tourism operator Alaska Wildland Adventures, spread the word about the event. “This is about accountability and finding ways to make tourism more sustainable as our town continues to grow,” he said.
“Many of us are mariners, captains, and people who spend our days on Resurrection Bay. We’ve noticed what appears to be a significant increase in humpback and fin whales this season. As more and larger ships transit our bay, we believe it’s reasonable to ask a simple question:
“Can we slow down these vessels as they travel through known whale habitat?”
The event aims to be a catalyst for discussion and change to better protect Alaska’s marine wildlife.
Responses to Lyons’ call varied. Some endorsed the demonstration and expressed concern for wildlife, while others pointed out that human activity on roads and railroads frequently results in the death of animals, seeing the effort as pointless.
“It’s crushed me and our small town to have this majestic pregnant fin whale carried in dead on the bow of a mega-cruise ship,” Jamie Lyons, Seward resident and water taxi captain, said in a press release from the Center.
“With the opening of the new cruise ship terminal, I’m deeply concerned that without speed limits, we’re going to see more ships hitting our whales. We’re gathering to honor and mourn the loss of this beautiful creature, and to call on the cruise industry to immediately put a speed limit of 10 knots or less in place in sensitive whale areas across Alaska. People come from around the world to experience our great whales, and the cruise industry needs to do their part to keep them safe.”
The Response
Royal Caribbean acknowledged in a statement that its boat had hit the whale. “We are saddened to hear that one of our ships struck a whale while on its way to Seward. We take any impact on marine ecosystems very seriously,” the cruise line said in a statement to People on June 22. “The ship immediately reported the incident to the proper authorities. We are cooperating fully with NOAA.”
The Center for Biological Diversity said in a press release that it had analyzed the ship’s data and claimed the boat was traveling at 15–20 knots at the time of the incident. It sent a letter to the company urging it to reduce the speed of its ships. The environmental nonprofit wants the company to adopt a policy of slowing to 10 knots or less whenever its ships traverse whale habitats.
“These events not only injure and kill individual whales, but in the case of imperiled populations, can have significant impacts on the species’ chances of survival and recovery,” the letter said.
“Human-caused deaths of large whales harms ocean ecosystems as well, given the vital role that whales play in our ocean, including the cycling and transferring of nutrients; fertilizing phytoplankton, which is the base of the food chain; and acting as a carbon sink throughout their lifetime.”
The Context
Cruises are a popular way for tourists to explore the vast landscapes of Alaska. In fact, during the peak summer tourist season, 57% of visitors arrive by boat. Industry groups claim that cruises contribute $2.1 billion to Alaska’s economy.
Seward is a major port for cruise ships, and the city recently debuted a new cruise ship terminal — the largest in the state — on June 10. Seward plans to dock more than 100 ships this summer, for a total of around 109,000 passengers.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the culmination of nearly a decade of efforts to unlock this world-class travel destination, bringing long-term economic opportunities to Seward and beyond,” Josh Carroll, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of deployment, destination development, and port operations, said to AlaskaBusiness Magazine.
The whale incident occurred on the Ovation of the Seas’ second arrival at the new Seward terminal. The Center for Biological Diversity worried about what the new terminal would mean for wildlife. “The new terminal is expected to facilitate a significant increase in the size and frequency of cruise ships in Seward, raising the risk of additional whale strikes, especially without speed limits for these vessels in place,” it said in a press release.
